Similarities Between Typee And Redburn

The Possibility of Resistance against Oppressive Social Codes in Herman Melville’s Typee and Redburn

In Typee, the narrator’s name is Tommo. Here oppressive society and environment changes Tommo’s thoughts, and forces him to except the harsh reality. Tommo introduces the reader the Typee valley, where he experiences different culture and rules from his own cultural system. First of all, Tommo sailed himself in a whaling ship on the dangerous sea. He has very little knowledge about his new journey, and in his grown-up time, he gains experience and knowledge that he had never before. In his journey, his whole identity shifts.
In the first chapter the sailors and Tommo is yearning to stop in the Nukuheva island.Tommo’s suffering starts from
the beginning of the chapter. As Tommo mentions, Here tommo says that there is no food on the ship. He wants to eat banana, chicken, yam, potato etc. He is trapped in the ship on the sea. Tommo does not want to stay in the ship, because he is into the sea for six month, and he is compromising with his harsh new situation. His life in the ship is very hard. He has to separate himself from the rest of his own culture and land. Tommo is not starving and want to eat, but also he is not getting any company from others. The captain of the ship is not very friendly towards him. As Tommo delivers, “… Therefore he is missing his family. The entire environment of the oppressive ship puts him into a difficult situation, and he wants to leave. He is yearning for his freedom, but he cannot do anything except waiting to change his situation. Later, his view from the ship of Marquesas Islands changes his perspectives. The island seems to him very nice. Tommo thinks to leave this ship to this welcoming land. However, after escaping from the ship name Dolly, Tommo goes through different kind of hardship. He finds himself very poorly prepared when he enters the valley. He claims, Tommo left the ship without sufficient food, warm cloths. He brings nothing for bedding. Now he is cold, wet, helpless and unprotected. In the whole new environment he has to rely on others for shelter, and food. In the European sense. He is not senior to these natives. He is desperate to live in spite of danger. However, he does not know how to survive in nature. Here he obliquely critics Western values.
Tommo is mesmerized by the beauty of the young girls of the island.
He utters, Here Tommo sees this island as fresh as these young girls. Tommo thinks European sailors misuse these girls, and they take advantages of these islands.
Tommo also suggests, Here Tommo says that the natives are not ‘savage’, and their culture and systems are as rich and simple as they are. They are civilized in their own way. Polynesians are broadminded than Europeans. They respect each other, and they are peaceful in nature. They have different religious view than European, and they treat everybody with kindness. According to Tommo Europeans are doing ‘savage’ act, because they are trying to control natives’ lives and culture. Here Tommo tries to connect Polynesians with Europeans, and he feels disappointed.
He also assumes, Tommo thinks that natives’ religious belief is better than Christian believers. They are doing noble work as Christian missionary believers do. Polynesians treat others with dignity and generosity that is very important. Many Christians do not do so. Tommo is resistance in nature, so he cannot raise his voice against European and He cannot protest against them, and he is struggling with his own feelings. Thus Tommo shows his resistance nature in a new oppressive
situation.
Tommo’s high resistance power raises when he has to adjust with the native. As native’s food, clothing, system of the society, law and regulations are different than Tommo’s own, he has to sacrifice his living style in order to live there. Tommo previously knew that Typees are dangerous, because they eat man, so he prepare himself to sacrifice his life. However, Typees treat Tommo very nicely, and sometimes he feels overwhelming. Tommo tells, . All the time, Kory-Kory takes care of Tommo. She feeds him, she bathes him, caries him everywhere. Here Tommo finds himself in an award situation. He was not ready for that. He has to relinquish his own desire.
In the valley, Tommo hides his true identity and introduces himself as Typee.
His confusion between Happar and Typee, and his position in the island makes him vulnerable and weak. Tommo’s elegant appearance suggests typical European man, and he enters the valley with his sober culture. His exotic feelings raises because of his transition from one culture to another. Both mentally, and physically he has to prepare for change. Even though the valley is a paradise to him, sudden change makes him lost. Typees’ constant attention towards him uncomfortable. Tommo mixed with Typee, and he changes his cloth and wears Typee’s cloths. He honors everything of this valley. As Tommo
says,
Here Tommo announces that in every perspective natives are better than Western world. By saying ‘no Money’ Tommo hates the system of capitalism. He does not like the system of European that separates people from one another. He thinks Typees are fortunate people, because they have ‘no beggers’, ‘no debtors’, and ‘no destitute widows with their children starving’. Tommo means natives are broad-minded people. Unlike European system of capitalism, Typees are generous, and they like to give others what they have.
Tommo goes through hardship to protect him from tattooing his entire body. Tommo reveals,
Here when Karky wants to tattoo Tommo, which is the sign that Tommo belongs to Typee. Tommo refuses that idea, because it separates him from rest of the world. He does not want to mark himself as ‘Typee’ forever. Even though he praises native’s land and culture, Tommo does not accept the idea of tattooing himself, he does not want to lose his true identity. He does not want to be a part of natives, and draw any sign of them in his body that divides him from his own land where he belongs. Even though it is very difficult for him to fights with natives and protect himself in Typee’s land, Tommo escape from that house. He is not mentally prepare for the change, and that leads him to protest it physically. As he ‘drew him off from the chase’, he defends himself. Tommo is exhausted after hiding his identity, and hiding his true feelings for a long period of time. Tommo’s struggle makes him physically active and he becomes desperate to escape from this land. He tells, At the end of the book, Tommo escapes with Karakoee and rides in a boat. Mow-Mow wants him to stay there, and swim towards them. Tommo hits Mow-Mow with a hook and run away. Tommo’s action does not mean that he likes violence. For a long term he sacrifices his desires and needs, and he tries to adjust with Typee makes him desperate to leave. Tommo’s lack of knowledge of Polynesians, and their language puts him out of the box, his resistance has a limit. His total new experience in exotic society in the South pacific island breaks his tolerance.